Argentina 0 Croatia 3: Willy Caballero howler sparks humiliation as Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic strikes leave Albiceleste on verge of Group D exit
Croatia into last 16 while Lionel Messi's Argentina need to beat Iceland and hope other results go their way
SO with Cristiano Ronaldo in pole position for a Golden Boot, Lionel Messi is heading for a kick in the wotsits and the first plane home.
Argentina and their little magician are on the brink of a disappearing act after a calamitous cock-up from Chelsea keeper Willy Caballero sentenced them to a first World Cup group match defeat since David Beckham’s penalty did for them in 2002.
Caballero’s botched clearance gifted Ante Rebic a opener, before Luka Modric curled in a brilliant second and Ivan Rakitic added a third, leaving Argentina with just one point out of six and a poor goal difference too.
Even victory over Nigeria in their final Group D match may not be enough to earn them safe passage into the last 16 now.
Of course, Messi cannot be blamed for Caballaro’s catastrophe - nor the fact that this is one of the weakest Argentinian squads in living memory.
But while the Messi v Ronaldo debate can often be written off as an irrelevance - they’re both very different kinds of geniuses, so why not just enjoy them both? - the contrast between the two greatest footballers on the planet has been as night and day in Russia.
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Ronaldo has four goals from two games after his hat-trick against Spain, while Messi - who had a penalty saved in the opening match against Iceland - looked a shadow of his magnificent self again here last night.
Croatia are through after their second victory and will face either Denmark or Australia in round two, giving them a great chance of reaching the quarter-finals.
They were canny in their handling of Messi and clinical in their second-half finishing but this was no classic and there was no getting away from the fact that Argentina are a poor team.
With their men in a hole after the frustration of that Iceland result, Argentina’s fans dominated a 41,000 packed house - their national anthem greeted with ear-splitting volume and an uncommon amount of bouncing.
Sampaoli had switched systems to go with a back three - fielding six specialist defenders.
Not that any team line-up with Messi in it can ever look particularly negative.
It had been highlighted the little fella ran fewer yards than any other player during the opening game but then he’s never exactly the sort of player a coach can batter for not tracking back and putting a shift in.
Compared to his ridiculous scoring rate at Barcelona a total of five goals from four World Cups is very modest.
And, after Willy Caballero had been asked to tip an early Ivan Perisic effort around the post, Messi fluffed his first chance.
Enzo Perez picked him out with a gorgeous lofted through-ball but Messi produced an air-shot.
Marcos Acuna grazed the Croatian crossbar with a cross-shot before a both sides passed up glaring opportunities.
First a mix-up between full-back Sime Vrsaljko and his keeper Danijel Subasic gifted Perez a clear sight of the goal but the Argentine midfielder screwed his shot wide.
And at the other end, Mario Mandzukic headed meekly wide at the far post when picked out expertly by a Vrsaljko cross.
Bu half-time this was hardly shaping up as the classic we’d hope for - a nervy, error-strewn affair with Messi successfully shackled - defensive midfielder Marcelo Brozovic his jailer-in-chief.
Eight minutes after the restart came Caballero’s slapstick moment.
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A long upfield punt was headed on by Mandzukic and a back-pass from Gabriel Mercado but the Argentine keeper under a little pressure.
It did not, though, demand that the Chelsea man attempt to impersonate Messi with a dink back towards his right-back - a target who would never be reached, Rebic volleying it back over his head.
The camera panned to Messi and if looks could kill, Caballero would have been blown away in a hail of bullets.
Sampaoli, in his bouncer’s uniform, looked on the verge of either tears or a violent attack. He immediately hauled off Sergio Aguero - which was a brave call.
Messi’s scamperings became more urgent. Maximiliano Meza and he forced a double save from Subasic.
But ten minutes from time Modric collected a square pass 25 yards out, teased Nicolas Otamendi and curled a beauty inside the post, going
ballistic with the red-and-white checked hordes behind the goal.
There was still time for Messi’s Barca team-mate Ivan Rakitic to rattle the bar with a long-range free-kick and then tap home a third
in injury-time, further humiliating Argentina and leaving them with an even steeper goal-difference equation to overcome.
As Argentina lost their heads in a series of late flashpoints, Messi cut a forlorn figure.
He’ll be 35 when the next World Cup in Qatar comes around.
It looks as if he may never win the biggest prize of all.
